How Much is that Turkey in the Window...

[mightymax]

Hi there.

I have two heritage turkeys that I'm thinking about selling before Thanksgiving. They're both Narragansetts and both are toms. They'll be 6 months old on Oct 5th and right now one weighs 13.6 pounds and the other one weighs 11.3 pounds. As I got them originally to keep as pets when they were 2 day old poults, they're both very people friendly and extremely calm. I hate the thought of them becoming somebody's dinner, but for reasons to lengthy to explain here, I must get rid of them. I don't want to just offer them up for free on Craigslist because that will only increase the likelihood that they'll be the guests of honor at someone's dinner but I have no idea whatsoever to charge for them. I'm not trying to make any money off of them. I really just want someone to take them home and keep them as pets so I don't feel I should make the price so high as to make them unattainable to the Average Joe, but high enough to ward off potential diners !!! I live by the coast in Central California and would appreciate any advice, suggestions or thoughts on where to sell them, how to sell them and how much to sell them for.

Thanks in advance !!!

 

[ivan3]

Couple of things to try, here, on BYC.

Post up in the most recently updated California thread in: https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/26/where-am-i-where-are-you . Maybe get some word of mouth working among members.

Also, check BUY/SEll/TRADE (not a lot of adults came up during the last year, but it might help - you can search further back in time), or maybe (depending on the time contraints you're facing) post up an ad. (also have a `rehoming' subforum in same section).

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ne...&order=descending&Search=SEARCH&Search=SEARCH

I sure hope you can find the right person/family for your toms.

Though loathe to suggest such to anyone else, If I was presented with such a "choice", I'd default to insuring the certainty that ours were humanely dealt with from poult to baking pan.

Hopeful the California contingent can track down someone in your area who has Narri hens and no toms.

Best of luck!

 

[mightymax]

Thanks for the great information and web links! I'm sure that they, and this website in general, will come in handy once I figure out how to maneuver around in it! And although I respect your 'poult to pan' philosophy and your right to do as you see fit with your animals, it's just not in me to transform a former pet into a potential potluck. I mean, I enjoy my turkey dinner just as much as anybody. I would just prefer it to be an 'anonymous' turkey, not one I used to call 'Bill', that's all...lol !!! :/

 

[ivan3]

Thanks for the great information and web links! I'm sure that they, and this website in general, will come in handy once I figure out how to maneuver around in it! And although I respect your 'poult to pan' philosophy and your right to do as you see fit with your animals, it's just not in me to transform a former pet into a potential potluck. I mean, I enjoy my turkey dinner just as much as anybody. I would just prefer it to be an 'anonymous' turkey, not one I used to call 'Bill', that's all...lol !!! :/

MM, it's not that I'd ever want to reduce `Stooge', `Fearless Leader', `Miss Hiss', Boris et al, into `stuffed stuff', but unless we gave them to some neighbor whose run/property we could see from the road, i.e., "yeah, they're still alive and well.."?

Maybe jack the price up and list them as fancy breeding stock, to limit responses from seasonal trollers with dull axes.

Best of luck,
John

 

[mightymax]

Ivan3...
...ooohhh !!! I get it now! And I totally hear you about the 'giving them to neighbor so you can see them' thing. Although, I don't think I could even do that because they probably wouldn't stay my neighbors for very long! I'd be over there so often that they'd either have to move, get a restraining order or just have me move in with them...lol !!!

I like your idea about offering them at a price that inhibitory to the casual diner. I guess I could list them without a price altogether and just put something like 'call for pricing' at the end of the ad. I've seen ads like that before. I think the seller figures that you'd have to be pretty interested in what their selling to take the time to call about something as rudimentary as the price. I know that if I was just looking for my next Thanksgiving meal, I wouldn't want to bother with all that, I'd just keep on looking for someone who does list the price. I don't know how well ads like that work as far as selling the item goes, but I don't need to get rid of them that fast. I think I'll go ahead and do that and see if anyone calls on them. I'll give it a week or so and then if they don't sell, I can always try something else. Nothing ventured, nothing gained...right !?!

Take care and I'll let you know how it turns out!